Battlefield
by mockingjayme
Summary: (AU/No ZA) She's just his babysitter; just a girl with a sad story and a lot of time on her hands. He's just a guy working two jobs trying to make ends meet for him and his little girl. Maybe together, they can find some normalcy in a world desperate to tear it all apart.
1. Chapter 1

Beth watched her father hobble on crutches to take his place at the island in the kitchen, the windows at his back casting an almost-glow around the shape of him; a Hershel-shaped aura. A piece of toast in hand, Beth's eyes traveled down to the emptiness where his leg used to be and after an immediate wave of emotion, they settled on the floor beside his slipper clad foot, her appetite suddenly and completely extinguished. He was almost as mobile as he'd been before, only just a little slower now. When she'd first left school to come home, she wasn't sure how much help he was going to need, but he'd been determined to take care of himself in that respect. He'd lost way more than just his leg in the accident and she knew that that was where her help was truly needed. The heavy stuff. Not so much the physical.

"Made ya some breakfast," she said, hopping off her stool once he'd settled into his and coming around to the other side of the kitchen island to fix his plate with scrambled eggs, bacon, and some toast. "It ain't much, gotta go shoppin' later." She stuck a fork on his plate and grabbed the ketchup from the fridge and set it down in front of him. "Got any special requests?"

Hershel looked up from his faraway gaze and Beth's own fell only slightly before she worked to keep up the brightness in hers for his sake. "I think by now you know what I like. I trust your informed opinion." His lips pulled at the corners, a hint of a smile on his face, though it never fully bloomed. They were both stuck in the memory on repeat, the kitchen growing warm and stuffy until Beth pulled away and returned to her half-eaten breakfast. With her appetite completely gone, she grabbed it from the counter and stuffed it down the garbage disposal. With her plate in the sink, she rinsed the rest of her breakfast off while keeping half an eye on her daddy who had yet to touch anything on his. His face was frozen in the phantom memory, the one that she was sure haunted him every day and it played across his face like an overhead projector.

She could only watch a few more moments before her heart completely shattered, so she looked away, shifting her feet as she tried to come up with something to say. Empty-handed as she was, she sighed. "I better get goin'. Daryl's gotta work today. You need anythin' 'fore I go?" Something like hope slipped through the cracks in her voice but he just shook his head no, his glossy gaze returning to the present time and he turned to his food for the first time since she'd set it there. She looked at him a beat longer, wanting nothing more than to ease away that pain she knew was swallowing him whole. Hell, it was swallowing her too, but she had to be strong. She had to be strong enough for the both of them. When her vision grew blurry, she tried to swallow around the lump in her throat and turned away, tossing her purse over her shoulder as she headed for the door. She paused with her hand on the doorknob, hesitating. She'd pointedly ignored it, tried so hard to pretend it wasn't there but the pull to look was too desperate and too loud to ignore and even though she knew it would be that last little push, she turned to look anyway. There on the credenza sat a large, framed picture of the whole family. They were wearing blue jeans and plain white shirts and she could remember the day with stunning clarity, but her eyes lingered on the smiling faces of her mother and her brother and the tears that she'd tried so hard to keep at bay slipped down her cheeks in warm salty trails. Her beautiful mother with her wide smile and bright, blue eyes. Everyone always said that they looked so much alike and Beth's fingers reached out to stroke the picture as if she could touch them one last time.

She heard her daddy shuffling around in the kitchen and her spell was broken. She straightened herself immediately and brushed the tears from her cheeks. It was nine on a Tuesday morning and instead of racing across Chamberlain's campus to make it to her class on time, she was on her way to Daryl Dixon's house to babysit for pennies an hour. And it wasn't that she was bitter because she wasn't. She was grateful to get out of the house and help someone while she did it. And she liked spending time with someone who didn't have that look of pity in their eyes every time they looked at her or asked her how she was doing or how her daddy was or when Maggie would visit again. It was all just exhausting. And it was just a painful reminder that she didn't have the answer to any of those questions.

She pulled the door closed behind her and leaned against it for just a moment to suck in a fresh breath to face the day with. The Suburban sat parked just out front, waiting for her and she knew that once she was inside, once she had made it past the long driveway, she would be able to breathe again; to_ really_ breathe. And it wasn't that Hershel was absent or stifling. They were just dealing with the same kinds of demons in their own ways and sometimes it got a little too cramped.

The Suburban roared to life and it didn't take long before the farmhouse grew smaller and smaller in the rearview mirror. Already she could feel the tension leaving her shoulders and the weight loosening the confines of her chest. She rolled the windows down for good measure, pressing her sunglasses up her nose as she drove. With the wind in her hair and some old Conway Twitty song playing loud enough in the cab to drown out the sound of her nagging thoughts, she was no longer the girl whose father lost his leg in the same car accident that took her mother and brother. She didn't have to be Beth Greene at a stoplight, didn't get the looks of pity or good wishes from people she barely knew. And she took comfort in the fleeting moment of being a nobody. She'd been stripped bare of most of the things she believed made her the person she was, so maybe she was still trying to find it. She didn't have time to dwell on the thought, though, as she pulled into Daryl's driveway.

The engine cut off, the old Suburban sputtering and wheezing as it worked to stop. She pocketed the keys and didn't even make it to the front door before Sophia came bursting out of it. "Miss Beth! Miss Beth!" Tiny arms circled her thighs and Beth leaned down to return the hug, a real smile pulling across her face. When Sophia pulled back, her smile was wide and childlike and Beth returned it, just as genuine.

"You're in a good mood this morning," she said, tapping the young blond on the nose as they turned to the house. Before they could reach the front, Daryl had the door open, holding it so they could both squeeze by. "Hope I'm not too late," she whispered as she passed.

"Y'ain't. Don't gotta go in 'til ten today." He ran his hand over Sophia's hair, pointedly mussing it up and earning himself a practiced glare from the six year old. A gruff chuckle sounded from somewhere back in his throat and Beth watched on as an adoring audience. She'd been babysitting almost every day now since she'd left school, and though Daryl wasn't a talker – especially about himself – she had managed to get all the pieces to the story and put them together. They really weren't so different after all. He'd lost Carol to cancer and Sophia had only been two at the time. Their routine was so practiced and natural that she often saw herself and her daddy as a living past in front of her. She knew he wasn't Sophia's real father. That he'd confessed to her late one night when he'd had a few beers, but it didn't mean that he loved her any less. She knew he couldn't possibly love her any more. She knew about the speculation, about the kind of reputation that the Dixon boys had in the county, but she had never quite been able to rectify the Daryl she knew with the Daryl she'd heard stories about and when she'd talked to her daddy about it, the only thing he'd ever offer her was that ultimately, she was in control of her own opinion and if she saw something else than that was all she needed to know. She was a smart girl and she could come to her own conclusion.

And she'd never had a reason not to like Daryl Dixon.

"Miss Beth, you want to have breakfast with us?" Sophia's voice pulled the blond from her reverie and she looked down, blinking the glaze from her eyes. She looked from Sophia to the table where two bowls of oatmeal sat and then to Daryl who offered her nothing but a one-shouldered shrug.

She turned back to Sophia, kneeling down to her height and brushed a stray hair from her eyes. "I can sit with you, if ya'd like, but I had breakfast with _my_ daddy this mornin'. Okay?"

Sophia nodded enthusiastically and grabbed Beth by the hand, tugging until she was in the seat beside the young girl, sitting across from Daryl who was also settling into his seat. Sophia was still clutching her hand, reaching for her spoon with her free one. Beth kept her eyes on the table, but let the feeling settle around her. It was like playing house and it transported her to a time unburdened by grief and she allowed herself the moment to pretend.

Sophia filled in the silence with talks of school and the kinds of things that only children had the mind to come up with and aside from a few well-meaning grunts from Daryl, Beth enlisted herself in the conversation. It was nonsensical and at more than one point during breakfast she could feel Daryl's eyes on her. Her cheeks heated under the attention, but Sophia's animated smile pushed the rest to the back of her mind. This was what she was paid to do, after all.

"Wanna go play with my new kitchen?" Sophia asked, pushing out from the table to stand in front of Beth with her hand still clutching hers tightly, a hint of a bounce in her step. Daryl came around the side to grab her bowl and his and made his way to the kitchen. She could hear the sound of the faucet behind her but she kept her eyes on the small Dixon and nodded enthusiastically. "Of course I do!"

Sophia tugged her into the living room where her new kitchen toys were scattered about and Beth couldn't help but smile. She could almost remember the magical feeling of being a child; the way the world seemed to be so big and so full of promise and you could be whatever you wanted to be. Sometimes she found her time with Sophia to be the best time she had anymore.

"You sit over there," Sophia instructed and Beth did as she was told. The tiny blond returned half a moment later with a teapot and a purple plastic plate and a matching plastic teacup, setting them down in front of Beth. "Would you like some tea, ma'am?"

"Why, yes I would," Beth said, grabbing her teacup and holding it out eagerly. She could feel eyes on her back again and the sound of running water brought Daryl back into her mind. She turned to look through the kitchen bar overlooking the living room. Daryl was watching them, something of a smile on his face. She didn't even realize she was staring back until his eyes met hers and they were paralyzed there for a moment. Two pairs of blue eyes frozen in a gaze through hooded lids and unspoken words that Beth couldn't quite place but they made her feel warm anyway. He blinked suddenly, palming at the faucet to shut it off and without another word – or a look in her direction – he disappeared into the bedroom. She watched after him for a moment, eyebrows knitting together in a look of confusion. _That_ was different. And confusing.

"Miss Beth! I _said_ can I get you anything to eat?"

Beth blinked, turning away from the direction of Daryl's room and focused on the little ball of sass standing in front of her. Sophia's hip was jutted out to the side, her hand placed on it in a show of annoyance. Her eyebrow ticked up on one side and Beth let a small chuckle slip. "Yes, sorry! I was just thinkin' of all the things I wanna eat. Ya ready for my order? 'Cause it's a big one!"

Sophia had fallen asleep early that night. She hadn't let Beth leave her side and even still, she had to prop herself up with one leg so she wouldn't fall out of the bed. Her hands ran through Sophia's hair though her breathing had long since evened out. It was quiet again and Beth hated the quiet. The room was dark and with a quick look at the alarm clock, she knew Daryl would be getting home soon. She shifted slowly in the bed, keeping a close watch on any signs of a stirring Sophia. When she didn't move, Beth very slowly detangled herself from the mess of limbs and tucked Sophia in properly. Pausing in the doorway, Beth cast one last look to make sure she was still sleeping soundly, and, satisfied by what she found there, she made her way into the living room, slipping into the couch and exhaling a long breath. The place wasn't big and it wasn't fancy, but it felt like a _home_. And she knew Daryl worked hard to make sure of that. He wasn't the type who cared about that kind of thing, but he broke his back to make sure that Sophia had it. She was his driving force and it was the biggest reason why Beth didn't care how little he paid her; probably would have done it for free. That kind of love... she just needed to remember that it still existed, that there was something after tragedy besides the soul sucking sadness.

It took a moment too long to realize she was crying. Her hand moved to the salty tears on her cheeks, wiping them away quickly as if someone might catch her in her moment of weakness. But no one else was there. She was alone. She grabbed the remote and turned the TV on. They only had what was available with a satellite, so she flipped on some after hours CW show. She had only just settled in with the roar of Daryl's old F-250 came pulling into the driveway. Furiously, she wiped at her cheeks and rubbed the dampness off on her jeans so no trace of fresh tears still lingered. The engine cut off and the sound was quickly followed by the creak of the door as it was forced open and then the slam that followed as it closed. She blew out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding and tried to focus on the television instead of the sound of boots against impacted earth, growing closer and closer until the key turned in the lock and the door opened quietly, which was almost comical considering how loud everything else had been just moments before. She looked over from the TV as if she hadn't been anticipating the very moment when he would walk through the door. The scent met her nose before she could comprehend the pizza box in his hands and her stomach growled on cue.

The look on his face proved he'd heard it too and she smiled apologetically. "Welcome home." She shifted in her position on the couch and crossed her legs, pointedly ignoring the loud thought buzzing around in her head, that frozen moment in time when they'd been powerless to look away – or at least, _she_ had – and smiled pleasant, albeit tiredly, at him.

"Thanks," he said, his gruff voice quiet as he came around to sit beside her on the couch, reaching out to place the pizza box on the coffee table in front of them. With just a nod of his head towards Sophia's room he asked, "Little ass kicker sleepin' already?"

Beth nodded, stifling a yawn. "I should prob'ly get goin'. My luck, Daddy'll be up waitin' for me, and it's long past his bedtime." She laughed, keeping her voice light, though her eyes remained downcast, unable to meet his in a fluttery moment of childlike insecurity.

He didn't seem to notice and if he did, he didn't mention it. "You want a slice 'fore you head out? Pepperoni. S'yer favorite, ain't it?"

She looked up then, her eyebrows knitting together, though the smile on her face served to counter the gesture. "How'd you know somethin' like that?"

He laughed – a single chuckle, but it counted as far as she was concerned – and reached over to flip open the lid. The smell of pizza danced through her nostrils and her stomach growled again and they both laughed. "Sophia decided it was hers when she found out it was yers."

An odd sense of pride passed over her and she smiled. "Really?"

"Mhm. Wants to grow her hair out like yers too."

She looked up, the warmth on her cheeks as she realized he was looking at her. She uncrossed her legs, standing suddenly. "I'm gettin' a drink. Want anythin'?"

"Beer'd be nice," he mumbled around the pizza in his mouth and Beth nodded once firmly and took her time making her way back. She'd never felt not entirely at ease in the house before now and it had her on edge. There was something awkward brewing in the air that she could feel but she couldn't quite place and she felt like a colt on fresh legs. She handed over the beer and took her seat beside him again, the two of them in the dimly lit living room with a pizza box sitting open on the coffee table and a few loose toys of Sophia's decorating the floor. So abnormally normal.

She leaned forward enough to fish a piece of pizza from the box and sat back as she took the first bite. Daryl was finishing up his third slice, loosening his boots enough to toe them off and settled back in with a fresh slice, his beer already popped open and ready. She watched him from the corner of her eye and realized she hadn't ever really _looked_ at him before. His eyes had those smile lines, but she could probably count on her fingers how many times she'd ever seen him really smile. His beard was sprinkled with silver, though his hair – a little overgrown – was still a dark brown without a trace of gray. He was handsome, she finally settled on, turning her attention back to her half-eaten slice of pizza. She took another bite as her eyes drifted to the clock above the TV. She sat up suddenly, coughing. It was already eleven. Her daddy was going to be so worried. He was looking at her, eyebrows pulled together in confusion and she was quick to swallow so she could explain. "Sorry, I just realized what time it was."

Daryl looked at her for a beat longer before his gaze flicked to the clock on the wall. "Didn't mean to keep ya out so late, girl. Tell yer pops m'sorry 'bout that." Beth nodded as she took one last bite and stood, grabbing her water and turning towards the kitchen until his voice reached out to stop her. "Don' worry 'bout that, I'll take care of it." Beth hesitated only a moment before relenting and putting everything back down.

She took her seat on the couch, perched at the edge to slip her boots on and stood. "Thank you for the pizza," she said, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.

"S'nothin'. Thanks for watching the brat."

"S'nothin'," she echoed with a smile that she was sure he almost returned. "Same time tomorrow?"

Daryl nodded. "Might be the same time tomorrow night too, that okay?"

Beth nodded, her hand on the doorknob as she fished her keys from her pocket. "Yeah. I'll let Daddy know not to wait up tomorrow night. See ya tomorrow."

He grunted out a response as she pulled the door behind her. She leaned against the closed door for just a moment, not unlike she had earlier that day when she'd been leaving home. But this was different. Because for the first time since she'd lost her mama and her brother, Beth Greene felt alive.

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**If you think you know how this story goes, you have no idea. Hang in there, I've got tons of things planned. Please remember to review and let me know what you thought! Thank you!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Sorry this chapter took so long to get out. May's been a busy, busy month for me. Hopefully you enjoy this chapter as much as I liked writing it. And while I'm not going to be that annoying author that holds chapters hostage for reviews, it's worth it to mention that reviews make me write faster. Encouragement always helps and they make my heart happy. So please remember to review and let me know what you thought.**

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The sun had barely begun to chase away the early morning pinks and purples when the sound of Beth's phone ringing jolted her from an already restless sleep. Groggily, and with the sound of the phone still screaming its shrill tone throughout the otherwise quiet room, Beth sat up and rubbed at her eyes with the backs of her hands, stifling a yawn as she blinked to rid her vision of its cloudy sleep. A quick glance at the alarm clock only served to prove that this was, in fact, entirely too early for human contact and as she reached for her phone to shut it off, the name stopped her short. Suddenly awake and alert, she accepted the face time request. "Maggie?"

In the first few weeks following the accident, Maggie had been home too. When Daddy and she were both too grief stricken to even _try_, Maggie was the one cooking breakfast and keeping their tails in line. When she'd had to leave for Korea with Glenn, the light had kind of gone with her. And Beth still hadn't felt strong enough to pick up the slack that Maggie had left behind. But in the days that followed, Beth had found herself falling into Maggie's routine, tracing her steps in the kitchen until it had become a ritual. She hadn't been ready for her to go yet. When she'd graduated high school and outlined her entire future, she'd been so sure she was ready for it. She was ready to take care of herself. She was ready to be a responsible adult. She was _ready_.

But when she lost her mother at her back, patting her head and offering her guidance along the way, she realized that she was anything but. And Maggie had offered to put off her trip a little longer and Beth had almost taken her up on it. But Maggie had a life she had to get back to and Beth had just quit her own, so she and her daddy both had insisted. And as Beth waited with a baited breath to see her sister's face on the other side of her phone, she couldn't remember the last time she'd spoken to her since.

Short brown hair and a bright smile appeared on her screen. "Sorry I'm callin' so early in the mornin', just had some news I guess I couldn't wait to tell ya."

Beth didn't answer right away, a strange panicky feeling in the pit of her stomach as if she hadn't actually been expecting Maggie, but some more bad news. "Good news or bad news?" Her voice sounded throaty and she cleared it, taking the moment to memorize the smile on Maggie's face. It was an odd sort of comfort and a longing she'd never quite felt before to have her materialize in front of her so that she could use her sturdy, tough sister as a beacon to pull herself out of the drowning grief of the early morning when everything still felt so fresh and new and unbearably painful.

Maggie's hundred watt smile grew even brighter and Beth's interest piqued as her mind began to pull her from sleep and propel her into the world of the living. She wiped at her eyes again as Maggie looked down at something out of the view of the camera. A moment later, the shot moved from Maggie's face to a tiny white stick with a blue plus sign and her breath caught in her throat. "No way," she deadpanned and the camera was back on Maggie and even through the video quality of her sister, she could see the promise of tears in her eyes. "Maggie, seriously?"

Maggie nodded enthusiastically and Beth felt the lump forming in her throat and she tried to swallow it down. "Congratulations! I'm so happy for you!" And she was. Mostly, anyway. A part of her worried that her mother and brother would soon be eclipsed, forgotten, and the memories were all that Beth had left of them both. The threat of her own tears soon surfaced as it truly began to settle over her. Life was moving forward. Life would always move forward. "How far along are ya?"

"'Bout six weeks. Got an appointment scheduled to find out for certain on the eighteenth."

Maggie couldn't stop smiling and after the initial shock began to wear off, even Beth found that it was hard to keep it off her own face. She was going to be an aunt! "Does Daddy know?"

Maggie's smile faltered only a little and she shook her head. "Wanted to see what ya thought about it first 'fore I worried 'im." She paused and Beth dropped the camera from her face for just a moment to exhale the tension that she'd managed to breathe in. "If it's a girl, I'm gonna name her Annette."

Maggie's voice was quiet, almost as if she had half hoped Beth hadn't heard what she'd said. But she had. Her breath caught in her throat, tears pooling in her eyes long before the feeling had settled over her heart, squeezing and tugging with claw-like fingers until it consumed her. She wasn't sure what the reaction was to something like that, so her face remained blank. Maggie's smile fell and it took Beth just as long to realize it had been longer than a moment since she'd said anything or done more than blink at her sister. She blinked hard one more time, a stray tear slipping down her cheek as she struggled for words. "That's..." She trailed off and swiped at her face with the back of her hand. Thankfully only that single renegade tear had managed to slip through her defenses and she was back in control. "Mama is prob'ly up there smilin' 'bout it. That woulda meant so much to her." And when she said the words, she resisted the urge to look towards the ceiling, having all but turned her back on that kind of blind faith. But maybe she could pretend. For Maggie's sake, she could pretend.

Maggie didn't reply for a moment, the emotions making her throat thick judging by the way her eyes glistened and the audible sound of her swallowing. "Ya think so?"

"Know so."

The sisters both grew quiet a moment as the news settled down around them. Beth still hadn't quite wrapped her head around it and with all the balls dropping around her, she needed some time before she'd be able to process it properly. Maggie seemed to sense that as she sucked in an abrupt breath and shoved a smile on her face that looked as if it didn't quite belong there. "Alright, well. I should probably let ya go considerin' I woke y'up before the sun. Don't tell Daddy yet, okay? I wanna tell him."

Beth nodded, forcing a smile onto her own face. It was half genuine by the time she said her goodbyes, wishing desperately that she could give her sister a hug; feel the strength she'd always admired but could never quite seem to conjure up herself. The screen was back to black, Maggie's face on the other end gone. She sat in bed for a long moment, just looking around her room. It felt smaller, off kilter. It felt like it belonged to a different life. A different Beth.

From her bed, she heard the unmistakable sound of the roar of an engine. The sky had turned from gray to blue and she realized as she watched her daddy's truck pulling down the driveway that it was Sunday morning. He hadn't said much to her about it when she'd stopped going. He'd done his duty as a father and a man of God to remind her that God never gave them more than they could handle and even if they couldn't see it now, there was a reason for everything. But that excuse seemed too hard to swallow and she hadn't been back or even bent her head in a prayer since. But even if she'd been able to accept that as her faith would have allowed, she found the place too stifling, too full of memories. Her mother was all over that place and she suspected that what kept her away was exactly why her daddy couldn't bare to miss a single service. And that was okay with her. They were dealing in different ways.

But now the house felt too empty and her head was too busy to go back to sleep until she needed to be up and at Daryl's, so she threw the blankets off her and headed into the bathroom to get ready for the day. She felt wobbly like Maggie's phone call had placed a hundred pounds on her shoulders and she tried to shake her mind free from the swirling thoughts that she'd managed to stick inside their boxes after too many months of being stuck in the stages of grief on repeat. She knew Daryl was usually up before the sun, anyway. He'd told her as much in just as many words once and her mind was made up before the the rest of her had come up with the suggestion that maybe she could be a couple hours early for work. Maybe Sophia would get her breakfast with the three of them this time. Maybe she'd even offer to cook it. Like a pretend family with problems that felt weightless compared to the baggage she'd been hauling around since the accident.

She took a deep breath as she ran the water in the shower and waited for it to warm up. The steam started pillowing out over the top and she stepped inside, wishing she could somehow wash away all the muck on the inside just as easily as she could on the outside.

…

He was a sick son of a bitch.

It wasn't the first time he'd thought such, and he was sure as hell it wasn't gonna be the last. He laid in bed, eyes on the ceiling as the world turned from black to gray to blue. He felt restless but he found that he didn't want to move, not even an inch. Seriously, what the hell was wrong with him? It hadn't been the first time he'd seen Beth with Sophia. She was around all the time, it seemed. Even her scent had begun to linger in his house; the living room, Sophia's room, the kitchen. But something about the way Sophia looked at her, like she just worshipped the ground that Beth walked on... well, it kinda had him feeling the same way. And maybe that had more to do with the fact that he loved Sophia more than he loved anything else in the god forsaken world they lived in than it did with the Greene girl, and while he'd been trying to figure as much out, he hadn't realized he'd been staring. And then for some reason, he just couldn't _stop_.

And he knew she saw him because he'd caught her staring too.

He turned over then, fighting a groan and failing as he tried to completely grasp just how much of a dumb ass he was. Merle'd have a field day with him if he'd known he'd looked at his babysitter as anyone other than the chick he pays to watch his daughter while he's at work.

But she was so much more than that to Sophia and somehow he'd managed to straddle the line that had suddenly grown very thin between being an outside observer and wanting the things he could see Sophia so desperately wanted to find with Beth. She barely remembered her mother, but she knew enough to know that she should've had one like everyone else. And Beth had somehow managed to step in and fill that role in ways that Daryl never could. And somewhere along the way, maybe she had just become a part of their little family and he'd only just realized it.

But then a too-clear image of her face in his mind shut down the lie he'd tried to tell himself. It was more than that. He was a sick bastard who was attracted to his young babysitter. And the worst part was that it wasn't even in that hungry, predatory way. She transformed with Sophia. She was a woman who loved a young girl as if she were her own. He liked what was on the inside just as much as the outside and it'd taken a too-long stare over the kitchen window to figure the shit out.

The sound of his cellphone ripped through the room and he lazily snatched it from the bedside table. _Garage flooded. We'll be out all day._ He slapped a hand over his face and groaned for the second time that morning. He'd been kinda looking forward to putting his mind on autopilot after everything, but he had been the one to point out the pinhole leak in the bathroom and they'd done nothing about it. So it served them right, he figured.

He heard the unmistakable sound of Sophia moving around the living room, so he peeled his sheets off and pulled on the pair of jeans that lay in a heap beside his bed and made a grab for the closest shirt he could find. He ran a hand through his unwashed hair, trying and failing to tame the long strands as he made his way out of his room.

Sophia was sitting cross legged in front of the television, fiddling with the remote. "Mornin' monster."

The little blond's head snapped up and she tossed the remote to the ground forgotten. "Mornin' daddy monster!"

He reached down to ruffle her hair affectionately and took a seat on the couch in front of her. "How'd ya like to go fishin' today?"

Sophia paused, her eyebrows pulling together in confusion. He could see her brain processing his question and he couldn't help but chuckle because he knew why before she even spoke. She knew it wasn't his day off. "With Miss Beth?"

"Nah, with me. I don't gotta work today, I get to spend the whole day botherin' you." As if to punctuate his point, he reached out and poked her in the side, earning a giggle and a dramatic tumble onto her side. "You can even go swimmin' if ya don't scare away all the fish."

She was pulling herself back up, crawling over to Daryl with her hands on his knees as support for her legs. Her eyes were lit up with excitement and for a split second, he had to drop his gaze. He knew he barely got to spend any time with her like this. He had to work six days a week just to give her the bare minimum and she still didn't get enough from him. She wanted more of this, and there wasn't an easy way to explain to her that he couldn't do both. In most ways, he felt like he'd failed Carol and he was almost glad she wasn't around to see it. He wasn't Sophia's real father. No, he was better than that woman abusing scumbag. But in some ways, he felt like maybe she'd made the wrong decision when she'd trusted her in his care. "Go git yer bathin' suit on so's we can go. Yer wastin' daylight, woman!" He tapped her on the behind, earning a squeal from Sophia as she took off towards her room, door slamming shut with excitement behind her. He watched after her, fingers pulling at his beard as he plucked the remote from the floor and flipped through the channels mindlessly while he waited for Sophia, pulling out his phone to send a quick text to Beth to let her know she was off the hook for the day.

The unmistakable sound of the Greene's Suburban pulled into the driveway and Daryl double-checked the time on his phone. She was an hour and a half early. Her knock was quiet against the wood of the door and he stood, pulling it open with a questioning look on his face. "Was just 'bout to text ya." But he still stepped to the side to let her in and shut the door behind her as she turned to face him. It was only then that he could see the red around her eyes and the way the usually bright blue hues seemed glazed over with preoccupation.

"Sorry I'm so early. Had an early start to the mornin' so I thought maybe I could cook ya breakfast or somethin'?"

Her voice sounded so hopeful that he had to look down, hand running through his hair. "We was fixin' to head to the lake. Was just sendin' you a text, actually. Sorry y'drove all the way out here for nothin'."

"Oh." He could see the exact moment when her mind caught up with his words and she looked so damned disappointed that he had the sudden urge to fix it somehow.

Sophia burst through the door to her room with her impeccable timing and her eyes lit up at the sight of Beth. "Miss Beth! I thought you weren't gonna come with us!" Her arms hugged Beth's thighs and his eyes lingered there a moment too long before he realized what he was doing and mentally kicked and cursed himself.

He watched Beth shelf her disappointment as if on queue and his stomach churned uncomfortably. She knelt down in front of Sophia with the warmest smile on her face, a hand draping over her short blond hair. "I was just stoppin' by to grab somethin' I left here last night. Today's a daddy daughter day. No babysitters allowed."

And though her smile and story had seemed so genuine, Sophia's eyes grew wide and sad and Daryl felt like he was shoved up between a rock and a hard place. It wasn't exactly in his plan to invite along the reason he wanted the space in the first place, but they both looked so damn sad that he didn't think he had any other choices. And he knew Beth well enough to know that she'd politely decline his invitation, so he didn't give her an easy out. If she was going to say no, she was going to say it to Sophia. He wasn't gonna be the bad guy and maybe that was selfish on more than one level. He could deal with that. "Ya really goin' to the lake dressed like 'at? Go git ya some shorts on at least and we can head out." His own heart was beating too hard at the thought of the three of them at the lake like some kinda dysfunctional family. He caught the look of confusion on Beth's face, and he shrugged. "Yer here, ain't ya?"

Sophia was clapping excitedly, jumping up and down as Beth was backed into a corner that he could guess she kinda wanted to be backed into. He was watching Sophia and when he realized Beth still hadn't said anything, his eyes slowly trailed their way to her face. She was looking at him and he fought the urge to look away. Instead, he offered her an encouraging nod and hated the way he liked how her eyes lit up and she stood a little taller.

"I actually got some shorts in the Suburban. Don't got a fishin' pole, though."

He dismissed her with a wave of his hand. "Don't worry 'bout it. Got ya covered."

She watched him for a moment longer, her hands running through Sophia's hair though her attention was focused solely on him. A heat ran up his neck and he palmed at it as his eyes remained transfixed on hers. He felt uneasy, as if she could read him from the inside out, but all she did was mouth a 'thank you' before she untangled herself from Sophia and made her way back outside. He could hear the protest of her door as it opened and a moment later, the slamming of metal on metal as it closed. Beth reappeared in the doorway and slipped passed with the shorts in her hand and disappeared into the bathroom. He was reminded by the way his heart thundered in his chest how much of a bad idea this probably was. But she reappeared a few moments later with her jeans hanging over her arm and her legs were long and pale and toned under her shorts and it upgraded to a _monumentally_ bad idea.

He was so fucked.

_Sick bastard._


	3. Chapter 3

Beth's hair was pulled back into a ponytail, blond strands whipping around her shoulders as her arm hung out the passenger's side window. Sophia sat tucked securely between the two of them with one of Daryl's hands wrapped loosely around the steering wheel, the other pressed against the side of his truck through the open window. His truck wheezed and rattled almost as much as the Suburban and for some reason it made her smile. He'd tossed her an extra pair of his sunglasses that she pushed back up her nose and an old AC/DC song played loudly through the speakers. The sun was shining and as they drove, the weight on Beth's shoulders seemed to grow lesser and lesser as she left it behind in the sad little town that held onto it so dearly.

It was a small two lane country road that would lead them to their destination and surrounded by nothing but trees, Daryl swerved in between the lanes, making exaggerated turns to earn howls of laughter from Sophia. Beth's own smile was so wide even her cheeks protested, but it felt good - this kind of reckless abandon. She looked down at Sophia who sat tucked so securely beside her and then chanced a glance at Daryl who had his eyes on the road. Even with his sunglasses on, she could see the crinkles around his eyes and her gaze fell to his lips to confirm that he was, in fact, smiling. It made her smile, too. A different kind of smile. A soft, private smile that she hadn't exactly noticed until he was looking at her too. Immediately, sapphire hues fell to the little girl tucked between them, her heart beating out a loud erratic beat that she inwardly tried to calm. This tension had seemed to happen almost overnight and she couldn't quite figure out why. They hadn't exactly been buddies, but she'd stayed up with him a few nights while he drank a beer before bed and she wasn't quite ready to go home and now even that felt like enough to warm her cheeks and the back of her neck. She wanted to look at him again, to study him so that she might understand what had happened, but she could feel the blush in her cheeks and kept her eyes towards the road.

They took a turn down a road almost completely obscured by trees, the kind of road you didn't see unless you knew what you were looking for. The terrain turned from paved to rocky and the truck bounced recklessly against it, tossing them around inside and earning loud giggles from Sophia. The girl might not have been a Dixon by blood, but times like these, Beth was sure you wouldn't know it. The narrow dirt road opened up into a clearing, trees still lining them on every side, but it was wider now and the sun reflected off the water like tiny diamonds. Daryl pulled the truck into a wide spot between the trees and cut the engine off. When the music disappeared, the vibrations still rang through her chest like a gong. She reached across herself to unbuckle her seat belt, keeping her head bent downwards and resisting the urge to look at Daryl. But he was already climbing out of the truck, slamming the door behind him. She watched through the cover of his back window as he reached over the bed of the truck to pull out his tackle box and the poles. She watched the way the muscles in his arms stretched and flexed and the heat was back in her cheeks, so she dropped her gaze back to Sophia, reaching around to unbuckle her as well. "Ya ready to go swimmin'?" Beth asked, forcing more than enough excitement into her tone.

Sophia nodded excitedly, slipping out of the seat behind Beth. She made a grab for Beth's hand, so she used her hip to push the door closed. "Need help with anythin'?" she called to Daryl, who was setting the poles against a tree.

He looked up from the hundred or so feet away he was and called back, "Just got the chairs and the towels back 'ere, but I can get 'em."

She waved him off and turned back to the truck, standing on her tiptoes to reach inside and pull the first chair free. She set it against the truck and watched as Sophia took off running towards the water. She reached back in to pull out the second chair and as she struggled to get it free, she felt the warmth of another body at her back. She turned, dropping her hold on the folded up cloth chair and found Daryl behind her, looking past her like he was trying too hard. "I got it," he said, reaching just past her, brushing his arm against hers as she pulled back. He pulled the chair free easily and set it beside the other one. The last one was a small pink princess chair and he grabbed it and the three towels and handed them to her.

She could feel the heat in her cheeks and hoped it wasn't enough to color her pink. She held out her hands to do as she was told, and waited as he picked up the two chairs easily and they walked towards the shore where Sophia already had her hands in the sand. "Hey, Soph," she called, the playful tone in her voice capturing Sophia's attention immediately. "Catch!" Beth tossed her the pink towel she knew was hers and they both laughed as it wrapped around her head, hands still lifted in the air to catch it. She sputtered dramatically as she pulled the towel off her head and made a face at Beth that Beth returned just as lovingly.

Daryl had a private smile on his face as she turned back to the chairs and he settled his a little ways down the lake with the tackle box in his hand. He sat down and started preparing his rod and Beth grabbed the last chair and settled it somewhere between the two of them and draped her towel over the back.

"Miss Beth! Come build a castle with me!" With a smile on her face, Beth did as she was told.

…

The sun had risen a ways past noon and Daryl was still sitting on his own, his pole in the water. She hadn't yet seen him catch anything, but then again, with her subtle looks back in his direction and the far-too-often way she caught him looking back at her, she kind of figured maybe he wasn't exactly paying attention.

Her shorts were still wet, but her shirt was in the beginning stages of drying. Sophia had banished her from their sand castle because she wanted to make her something special, so she made her way to her chair, grabbing for her towel that was warm and sunkissed against her chilly damp skin. She patted herself as dry as she could and looked towards Daryl. He was only fifty or so feet away, and she sucked in a deep breath, determined to get to the bottom of this weird tension that had seemingly come out of nowhere. Her stomach clenched at the thought, warm and unsettling in a way that wasn't uncomfortable, nor was it completely unwelcome. She expelled the breath she'd been holding and grabbed her chair, making her way over to him. He didn't look at her until she was only a few feet away and he watched her steps as she settled her chair down next to his. "Yer pole's all ready t'go." He nodded his head back towards the tree they were propped up against and she nodded, crossing the few feet between her and her pole. She settled down in the chair beside him and she could see him look at her from the corner of his eye. He slid the tackle box closer to her with a glint in his eye. "Bait's in there."

She unhooked her fishing hook from one of the feeder tubes and ticked a brow at the look he'd given her. "I assume I ain't gonna like what's in there?"

He chuckled, a single bark of a laugh. "Open it an' find out."

She balanced her pole on her knee and reached down for the tackle box, pulling back the lid and revealing worms in the top container and tiny minnows in the bottom. She made a face as she plucked one of the worms from the box. He was watching her with an amused smirk on his face and she looked up at him as she grabbed the hook with her free hand. "I'm glad you're enjoying this," she bit at him with playful sarcasm. She pulled the hook closer, positioning the pole between her legs, her tongue poking out the side in concentration. She wanted to impress him, she realized, as she threaded the worm through the hook. She tried her best to keep the grimace from her face, but it was in vain. She frowned as the worm twisted and rolled, and when she looked up at him again, his face was one of pure amusement, eyes crinkled in the corners in a way that truly showed off just how handsome he truly was. She blinked a few times and then pulled a face at him. "You worry 'bout your fishin' and I'll worry 'bout mine." Her chastisement was playful and she tossed an exaggerated look at his bucket of water but no fish. "You can't say much considerin' you ain't even caught any of your own fish!"

"Prob'ly 'cause you keep on scaring 'em away."

"Excuses, excuses," she tsked, wagging a finger at him playfully.

He watched her a moment longer, the playful air dissipating as the heavier stuff settled in and she felt the heat up her spine again, the dip in her stomach. She swallowed and cleared her throat, turning back to the water and busying herself with casting out her line. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see him readjusting himself as well, eyes moving past her towards Sophia where she sat surrounded by sand. She wasn't paying them any mind, busy with whatever she was making for Beth.

Minutes passed in silence as Beth tried to wrangle her senses back in order. Finally, the silence proved too much for her and she blurted, "Maggie's pregnant."

Daryl blinked, clearly unprepared for conversation. He hesitated only a moment. "Yer sister?"

Beth nodded, her pole balanced between her knees as she picked at the skin around her fingers. "I'm happy for her. Mostly. It just seems like... I don't know. Like-"

"Like yer momma and yer brother are gonna be forgotten?"

She shifted in her chair to face him more fully, somber brows pulling together. She hadn't expected him to contribute much to the conversation, let alone hit the nail on the head. "Yeah. Do you think I'm wrong?"

"I think yer grieving. And I think yer doin' jus' fine."

He wasn't looking at her, but at that moment, she so wished he would. She wanted to see the conviction in his eyes, needed to see that he thought he was telling her the truth. But she figured Daryl Dixon wouldn't have much to say except for the truth. He didn't tiptoe around feelings. "Was it hard? When Carol... I mean..."

She was wandering into uncharted territory and he didn't answer right away. She opened her mouth to apologize and to take it back, but then he spoke. "Course it was hard. It was different, though. A different kind of hard."

"'Cause you had Sophia?"

He sighed and she wished she hadn't brought it up at all, but she didn't have anyone else to talk to and selfishly, she didn't take it back. She waited patiently while he rubbed a hand over his face and stuck his pole through a hole in his chair, turning to face her like she had him. "There was that, yeah. But me an' Carol... we were best friends. She was datin' this piece of shit." She watched his hands clench, knuckles turning white for a brief moment, eyes glazing over as he remembered, before he loosened his grip and then continued. "He beat on 'er, made me mad as hell when I found out but she begged me not to do anythin'. Had more 'an half a mind to do it anyway. She'd show up wearin' sunglasses like we didn't know no better. I kept tellin' her to leave him, but she always had excuses. She couldn't leave her job, couldn't leave her dog. Hell, I told her to bring the damn mutt with 'er and come stay with me. But she wouldn't.

"Then one day she found out she was pregnant and I guess that was the kick in the ass that stubborn woman needed and she called me blubberin' 'bout how she couldn't live like 'at anymore, 'specially if she wasn't the only one she needed to look after. I told her to come stay with me, told her we'd get her on her feet. But she was worried he'd come lookin' for her, worried he'd try to take Sophia away. So we got married right quick. Wasn't nothin' 'cept convenience and so as far as anyone knows she's as mine as she can be."

Beth blinked as she processed his story. She hadn't heard him say so many words at once and while she'd known that Sophia wasn't his, she hadn't known the whys or the hows. It was never any of her business. And Daryl had always seemed like this quiet superhero to her, the way he gave his entire being to Sophia, but now... It just seemed like there wasn't a cap on how far he'd go to help the people he cared about. She found a dormant part of her subconscious wishing she could be one of those people.

He was still looking at her, maybe judging her reaction, maybe waiting for a response, but she could only look back. She saw more of him now, somehow. She had more of an insight into Daryl Dixon and the way her heart pounded in response felt like a whole lot of trouble was on the horizon.

"Think ya might'a gotten a bite."

His voice brought her back to the present. It sounded a little too forced, deep and throaty and she blinked as she realized she was still looking. "Huh?"

"Your pole." He nodded his head at the way it bent at the top. "Think ya mighta hooked somethin'."

"Oh!" She felt the tension in the pole then, wrapping her hands around it with a firm grip before she began to reel it in. She tugged as it tugged back, reeled it in and let it loose just a bit so the line didn't snag or break. Whatever it was on the other end was putting up a fight and she tugged the pole back over her shoulder to get a good start on it, but before she could get her hand back on the reel, it'd swam back out even further. With a huff, she tried again. A moment later, Daryl was at her back, his hand covering hers on the reel and handle. "Just gotta pull it back like so." His lips were at her ear and her whole body reacted, a heat spreading like fire down her spine and up her neck and she had a sudden desire to lean back into the hard muscles she knew she'd find there if she did. The thought took her by surprise, so she stood a little taller, focusing on what he was telling her instead of what he was making her feel. She chalked it up to teenage hormones and tried her best to push it all to the back of her mind.

Together, they managed to reel the fish in, flopping around on the line once it was out of water and Daryl stepped back once she had a good hold on it. He blew out an impressed whistle and even Sophia had stopped to pay attention. "Ya got yerself a rainbow trout. Prob'ly 'bout five pounds from the looks of it."

"That good?" she asked as she slipped her hand over the slimy skin of the fish to unhook it.

"Good 'nough." He bent to grab the bucket and held it out to her. "Worth keepin', anyway."

It wiggled and fought against her hold and she was proud of herself for not dropping it before she tossed it in the bucket. She brushed her hands off on her shorts and then tilted her head as she looked at him. "Thought I was the one scarin' the fish away," she teased, the tension leaving her body but only just.

"Beginner's luck," he suggested, lips quirking at the corners in a small smile she could only assume meant he was at least a little impressed and her heart quickened its pace again.

"If it helps you sleep better at night," she quipped, lips pulling into a wide smile. Tiny footfalls in the sand broke through her concentration on him and their banter. Sophia was standing on the tips of her toes, peering inside the bucket.

"Are we gonna eat it?"

Daryl shrugged, placing the bucket back down so she could more easily peer inside. "Ain't much on its own, but if we could catch some more, sure. Ya wanna?"

Sophia nodded enthusiastically, grabbing Beth's hand in her two smaller ones. "Miss Beth, wanna come see what I made?"

Beth's eyes flickered from Sophia to Daryl and back to Sophia. "Of course! I've been waitin' to see it. You gonna tell me what it is?"

Sophia tugged on her arm, leading her away. "Nope. Guess!"

Beth smiled, walking easily beside the six year old. "Okay, let's see. You made... my own castle?"

Sophia laughed, obviously enthralled with the guessing game. She shook her head, "nope!"

Beth stroked her chin, pretending to be deep in concentration. "Is it... a fish?"

"Nope!"

"A dolphin?"

Sophia giggled, tugging her along more hurriedly. "No!"

Before Beth had another chance to guess, Sophia was proudly displaying a lump of sand that almost looked like it could have been a fish tail, but there was a lot going on up top that she couldn't quite place. Thankfully, she was saved from having to guess what it was as Sophia held out her hands to display her work of art. "It's a mermaid!"

Beth feigned a gasp. "A mermaid?! No way!"

Sophia, pleased with herself, dropped Beth's hands so she could clap hers excitedly. "You have pretty hair like a mermaid, so I made you."

"Oh, that's too pretty to be me!"

Sophia's smile lit up even brighter and she shook her head. "No." The words was long and drawn out, the smile on her little face was an adoring one and Beth didn't think it would have been possible to love Sophia more if she had been her own. She knelt to the ground, opening her arms for a hug and Sophia barreled into it, hugging her tight around the neck. Beth had to place a hand on the ground to brace herself, but she smiled just as wide as Sophia had a moment ago. Her little pretend family.

…

Sophia claimed her attention for the rest of the day. The sun had begun its slow decent into the west and it was obvious the sun and the excitement was wearing Sophia down. She stifled a yawn as she gathered up her towel and dried herself off. Daryl was shaking out his own, packing things up for the day and Beth followed suit. She folded her chair back up and offered her help as they packed up the truck. Daryl had managed another four fish on his own worth keeping and Beth kept trying to find a reason to poke some fun at him. But she'd grown shy as the drowsiness began to seep in, so she just climbed in the truck after Sophia instead.

The ride back was quiet, the sun vanishing completely below the horizon. Daryl's headlights illumitated the otherwise deserted street and at some point during the ride, Sophia had curled up on the seat, resting her head in Beth's lap. Her fingers moved softly against her hair, wringing the strands between her fingers. Daryl left the radio off so she wasn't disturbed.

The quiet settled down around them and Beth balanced her head on her palms, elbow resting on the window panel. If she tilted her head just so, he was in her field of vision and every so often, she could feel his eyes on her. On more than one occasion she caught him looking at her and they would both look away as if they hadn't been doing it the whole time. Her stomach swooped, the heat in her belly a boil. She could feel the heartbeat in her ears and she wondered why it had taken her so long to realize what that heat really was. She wasn't completely inexperienced, she knew what attraction felt like. But it had never been quite so strong.

She was attracted to Daryl Dixon. Hopelessly and completely, like the teenager she was but hadn't felt like since she'd lost her mom and Shawn.

The drive seemed shorter on the way back, their stolen glances stoking the fire in her belly until she was sure her entire face had been engulfed in pink. As he cut the engine, she pulled Sophia into her lap and scooted out of the truck. "I can go tuck her in if you wanna grab that stuff," she said quietly, careful not to disturb the sleeping Sophia in her arms.

"Ya sure?"

"Yeah, it's not a problem." He handed her the keys and she balanced Sophia in her arms so she could grab them. Carefully, she made her way to the front door, unlocking it without disturbing Sophia enough to wake her up. She sighed and rubbed her eyes, but settled back into the crook of Beth's neck as she pushed her way inside.

Using her hip, Beth bumped the door open enough to get through and carefully set Sophia down on the bed. Her sleepy eyes opened, confusion and sleep reflecting back at her. "Shh, you can go back to sleep. You're home." She pulled the blankets up around Sophia's shoulders and she complied, tired eyes blinking slowly closed, her breathing evening out. She brushed her hands over her hair for a few more moments until she was sure she was asleep. She stood carefully then, slowly so as not to wake her. As she reached the door, she realized Daryl was standing in the doorway. Her breath caught, her hand flying to her heart. "I didn't know you were there."

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare ya. Just wanted to check on her." He stepped to the side to let her by, closing the door quietly behind him.

They stood there in the living room facing each other. Beth shivered despite the heat in her belly, shifting on her feet. She knew it was time to go but she couldn't seem to make her legs move.

Daryl ran a hand over the back of his neck and she realized he could feel the tension too. Her legs willed her to move closer but she remained in place. It was a line she wasn't planning on crossing, this weird crush she'd only just realized. His eyes were on the floor, but he hadn't moved either and she wondered if he was thinking what she was and she wasn't sure how she felt about that. "I still gotta clean those fish if ya need a reason to stay."

She took in a deep breath and blew it out slowly. Maybe he just felt sorry for her. Maybe that was all. She chose to believe that and she willed herself to take a step backwards. "I should probably get home."

He nodded, standing aside so she could make her way to the front door. He followed along a few steps behind and as she reached it, hand on the handle, she stopped and turned back to him. "Thank you for invitin' me along. I know I wasn't part of your plan, but I appreciate it anyway."

He waved his hand. "Was nothin'. Sophia loves ya. Y'ain't bad company, neither."

She hesitated at the door, heart thundering in her chest. He was close. All it would really take was a step or two...

The air had grown hot and stifling and she turned the handle, pushing it open with her back. "Good night, Daryl."

"Nigh'," he said, closing the door behind him.

* * *

**A/N: Reviews feed the starving unicorns.**


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